The Press Release:
Coming on the heels of the recent release of Apocrypha: The Legend Of BabyMetal, Z2 Comics is pleased to announce their next title is a collaborative partnership with musician Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides/Andy Black). The Ghost Of Ohio is a graphic novel based on an original story idea created by Biersack alongside the creative team of Z2 Comics: Josh Frankel and Sridhar Reddy. Scott Tuft, known for his work on the Severed and Swamp Thing titles, is writing the comic with Biersack. Artist Eryk Donovan, best known for his Batman creations, created the cover that was unveiled at a gathering in New York City on October 4th. The Ghost Of Ohio is scheduled for release in mid-2019. Pre-orders for The Ghost Of Ohio will be announced in the near future and fans can go to https://www.z2comics.com/ for more information.

“I am so excited to finally be able to share the news about ‘The Ghost of Ohio’ graphic novel and upcoming solo record of the same name and inspired by the comic book story. The truth is that I would never have discovered my love of rock music without my passion for comic books and characters like Batman and Spawn, which ultimately lead me to larger than life bands like KISS and The Misfits. To be able to combine my love of the graphic novel medium with a concept record is a dream come true and something I have wanted to do for many years. Working with the Z2 Comics team and alongside Scott Tuft and Eryk Donovan to bring this dream to reality has been an incredible process. The story takes place in southwestern Ohio and spans across historical eras from the 1800’s to modern day. ‘The Ghost of Ohio’ is a tale of loneliness, redemption and strength and I hope both the album and book capture that tone while giving people some fun entertainment to escape into!” explains Andy Biersack.

The release of the graphic novel will coincide with the sophomore release from Biersack’s Andy Black persona via Lava/Republic Records. The album, which shares the same name as the comic, will serve as a companion piece as they will both be released around the same time. The comic marks another career first for Biersack who has been known for his work outside of music through his performance in the film American Satan and as the host of The Orange And Andy Black show on WEBN every Sunday, a show dedicated to his beloved Cincinnati Bengals and rock music. Biersack will also participate in the 2018 New York Comic Con panel, From The Stage To The Page: Musicians Creating Comic Books on Friday October 5th alongside Steve Aoki, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Lights.

“We are very excited to join forces with Andy Biersack to publish his first-ever graphic novel in tandem with his next solo record. This further cements Z2 Comics’ reputation as the premier home for artists, musicians and their exclusive graphic novel projects,” states Josh Frankel, CEO of Z2 Comics.

About Z2 Comics: Z2 Comics have made a name for themselves releasing quality graphic novels in to the marketplace since 2012. In 2016, Z2 began collaborating with musicians to create graphic novels centered on unique stories and exclusive music. That ideal led them to work with the likes of Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), DJ Paul Oakenfold, jazz trumpeter Dave Chisholm and others. 2018 marked another landmark year as Z2 partnered with Japanese metal band BABYMETAL on Apocrypha: The Legend Of BabyMetal, which is one of the biggest selling graphic novels Z2 has released. With the upcoming release of Andy Biersack’s The Ghost Of Ohio in 2019 and other soon-to-be-named partnerships, Z2 Comics continues to push the envelope with their music and comics integrations.

About Andy Biersack: A living, breathing, walking tale of ambition and perseverance, the man behind ANDY BLACK (who fans around the world already know as Andy Biersack) grew up in the Midwest and moved to Hollywood at 18 to pursue his passions in the creative arts and the art of rock n’ roll. Biersack has graced the covers of Alternative Press, Revolver, and multiple other relevant publications around the globe as frontman for the band he founded, Black Veil Brides. Across four well-received albums and countless tours, BVB has flown the flag for aggressive hard rock, earning multiple Kerrang! and Golden Gods awards, to boot. Created in Southern California with mega-producer John Feldmann, Biersack’s adventurous debut under the ANDY BLACK moniker features a rogue’s gallery of hitmakers and alt-rock icons, all united in substance and spirit upon a singular line of melodic assertiveness and stylistic daring.

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PiercingMetal Thoughts: I’m going to keep this short because as you read this media update I am making my way through the underground passages care of the MTA in route to NY Comic Con, Day 2 – technology eh… Last night, the reveal was celebrated by the Z2 Comics company, Biersack and select music and geek media at Paul Booth’s Last Rites Gallery. We all enjoyed “Trooper” Iron Maiden beer by Robinsons Brewery and many of us got to chat with Andy for a few minutes about the upcoming book. I even shared some of the button stash I had gotten during my exploring the NY Comic Con as its not like the musician could easily walk through that chaos. Well, unless he could convince people he was only cosplaying as Andy Black of the BVB. It was a good time. Though I’m not the biggest reader of the independent comics nowadays, I’m following a few of them and am curious about this tale so will be looking forward to perusing it. What do you think about this new endeavor by Andy Black? Will you be reading? Shall it make a comic collector out of you if you were only someone that enjoyed his music? Please chime in down in the comments section below and don’t forget to follow PiercingMetal on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since I am sending out updates from the convention exploring regularly.